Body Cameras Essay

1247 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Body cameras on police essay

Police Body Worn Cameras
Police worn body cameras would help the public believe in police agencies again. The cameras would help minimize the complaints about officers that use unnecessary force or inappropriate behavior and vice versa from a civilian. The police worn cameras do not lie so they will protect against any false accusations, misconduct and abuse against officers or civilians. The video footage would also help in speeding up court proceedings by providing proof of the crime. The video footage could also help in reducing court costs by speeding up the court proceedings by pre-trial plea bargains or convictions. I think police body camera’s are a good thing because they would help protect the police and the public.
Police distrust …show more content…

While no system is absolute, body worn cameras help encourage trust, help keep police officers and the public safe and foster greater visibility and liability on behalf of the judicial system ("Data security is key to police body cameras."). Body cameras will show the event as it happens. The video does not lie. It not only protects the citizens but it protects the police as well. The Criminal Justice Information Services security policy requires routine audits and background checks for those who work with the data. Activating the highest data security will protect the programs ethical principles ("Data security is key to police body cameras."). Body cameras can and will help improve the public’s trust with police officers. Unfortunately, not all law enforcement agencies will use body cameras. The US Customs and Border Protection staff will not wear body cameras. After a yearlong review and trying out the body cameras it was decided that there was a concern of cost, employee morale, harsh environment, and could hamper the officers’ ability to collect intelligence (Jackson). Michael Brown’s, a Missouri teenager who was shot and killed by a Ferguson, Mo police officer on August 9, 2014, mother is urging a Missouri Senate panel to pass a bill requiring police to wear a body camera. Michael’s mother says details from the shooting are still unclear even though a St. Louis County grand jury did not …show more content…

Even though the Fourth Amendment protects Americans from “unreasonable searches and seizures,” there are no limitations on police or anyone else recording you in public. (The amendment requires police to get a court issued warrant to enter your home, but it does not say one way or the other if they can record you in your home without your permission) (Majerol). Police departments must implement the highest data security when it comes to public privacy so the body camera program is not questioned. If you do not have the proper security protection prosecutors, jurors, police officers, and the public may not believe the video recordings. Privacy protocols and safeguards must be in place to protect the integrity of the video. In Seattle, Washington the police department set up a YouTube channel to upload their body camera videos. The police department blurs the images but is this really hiding your identity

Show More
Related

  • Police Body Cameras Essay

    1118 Words  | 3 Pages

    I feel body cameras will bring more awareness to police departments when it comes to the honesty in their staff’s action when they are unsupervised. They can be used as hard evidence in court rooms, to help make the correct judgment on the situations in question. A case of which Officer Michael Slager fell victim to when the courts later changed their verdict after being presented with a video of what really happened.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Body Camera

    1513 Words  | 4 Pages

    One of the sources used to disprove that body camera isn’t the answer includes Jamelle Bouie article, Keeping the Police honest. Mr. Bouie is the chief political correspondent at Slate who graduated from the University of Virginia with a political and social thought degree (Tumblr.com). His work consists of issues relating to national politics, public policies and racial inequality. His work has also been published in Slate online magazine, the New Yorker, the Washington Post and TIME Magazine (Tumblr.com). Slate is an online magazine that post about the news, politics, business, technology and culture (slate.com). In Jamelle article, Keeping the Police honest he talks about incidents where police officers were being recorded and took excessive

    Read More

  • Body Cameras Pros And Cons

    1184 Words  | 3 Pages

    There have been lots of modern technologies introduced in the United States of America to assist law enforcement agencies with crime prevention. But the use of body-worn cameras by police personnel brings about many unanswered questions and debate. Rising questions about the use of body cam are from concern citizens and law enforcement personnel. In this present day America, the use body cameras by all law enforcement personnel and agencies are one of the controversial topics being discussed on a daily base. Body worn cameras were adopted due to the alleged police brutality cases: for instance, the case of Michael Brown, an African-American who was shot and killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, on August 2014, Eric Garner died as

    Read More

  • Revisiting the Michael Brown Incident: A Critical Analysis

    1219 Words  | 3 Pages

    In his report, “Police Body-Mounted Cameras: With Right Policies in Place, A Win for All,” Stanley dives into some of the ethical questions surrounding police cameras. He states that cameras can be a “win-win”(1) for both the citizens and law enforcement. It would protect the citizens from unnecessary use-of-force and police misconduct, while simultaneously protecting law enforcement from frivolous lawsuits, complaints, and provide law enforcement with concrete evidence to be used in criminal proceedings. The problem, however; is that if all officers are required to wear cameras, recordings could then be made of peoples homes where people have a reasonable expectation of privacy. Incidences that may be completely innocent in nature could also be recorded, and incidences of a delicate nature,such as domestic violence calls, would also be recorded. With regard to the Freedom of Information Act, some of these recordings may be released to the public. With that said, Jay Stanley and the ACLU feel that strict privacy guidelines need to be put in place to protect citizens from having recordings of a personal nature released to the public. I have had a few personal encounters with police officers in my area, including having an officer in my home. Deputy Lieutenant Tyler Souther from the Macon County Sheriff’s Department was visiting me and my husband on a

    Read More

  • What Are The Pros And Cons Of Police Body Cameras

    962 Words  | 2 Pages

    This little camera doesn’t have but one job and that is to record the story. “Advantages of police body cameras..” article talks about the pro and cons of such camera on the officers while on shift. The camera is there to help give an unbiased account of what happen. When you know you are being recorded, then you naturally act a little better because you know someone is watching you not so impulsive. There is a statement “A study performed by the Rialto, CA police department found that the cameras led to an 87.5 percent decrease in officer complaints as well as a 59 percent reduction in use of force over the course of a year—and they’re not the only departments seeing positive results.” “This drop in complaints can also lead to a substantial decrease in the time and resources devoted to investigating complaints and resolving civil litigation.” .The two cons I keep seeing against using cameras is the initial cost to issue one out to all law enforcement and the upkeep cost required by them. Additional is a privacy issue with what is recorded on them. These successes number out weight the cons specifically dealing with the public

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Police Body Cameras

    1406 Words  | 3 Pages

    Since their inception, police body cameras have been a controversial topic as many do not agree on their effectiveness and legality. To the trained eye, body cameras clearly have no negatives other than the sheer cost of their implementation. Some people, nonetheless, do believe that it is an encroachment of privacy for police to record private and/or public interactions even though it is purely legal. While that may be seen as a negative, it is wholly subjective and must be completely ignored when considering the factual analysis of police body camera use that is necessary to verify their validity. When only taking fact into account, there is no way to deny the nearly infinite benefits of body cameras.

    Read More

  • Should Police Shouldar Body Camera?

    1199 Words  | 3 Pages

    Should police officers be mandated to wear body cameras? That is a question that has grown to be widely discussed in media, politics, and the public. The death of Michael Brown due to a fatal shooting by a law enforcement officer inflamed the idea that police officers should wear body cameras (Griggs, Brandon). The opposing sides of such controversial questions both provide a strong reasonable argument that supports each side. However, despite the critiques against body cameras, I believe the evidence that supports the use of body cameras to be overwhelmingly positive and the intention is of pure deeds.

    Read More

  • Body Cameras

    664 Words  | 2 Pages

    The American public has been dealing with a lot of police brutality over the last two years. We have asked for body cameras to be mandatory for all police officers and even though a lot of cities and town don’t have them yet it has been some changes. Some people want them to show evidence of misconduct by police officers while others want it to protect those officers and then you have those that think it is violating privacy laws. My argument will be are body cameras working so far and are they the solution for the future. Does police officers wearing camera put at risk the privacy of the American public or does it expose

    Read More

  • Body Worn Cameras Essay

    899 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...f police officers are diligent in the process of storing information than it should lay to rest the concerns that some have over the protection of privacy. The advantage of body worn cameras by law enforcement is essential in protecting the officers from wrongful accusations and is beneficial to citizens as well. By having an unbiased recount of events it protects both sides from wrong doing. It also encourages police officers and citizens to behave better when their actions are being recorded. The use of body cameras also provides a detailed account of a crime scene. This can be useful in the prosecution of a crime and can also provide documentation of witness statements. Deputy Chief David Ramirez of the San Diego police department lauded the practice. "Body-worn camera technology is a win-win for both the officer and the community," he said in the report (Prall).

    Read More

  • Body Worn Cameras Essay

    1186 Words  | 3 Pages

    This research paper will give a general overview of body-worn cameras with policing and how police officers respond to body-worn camera. There will be several sections that will explain more about body worn cameras. The reasons why the police use body worn cameras. The issues police officers face with the use of body worn cameras. Issues of citizen privacy will be explained. A research study of positive outcomes of body worn camera will be discussed. As well as officer’s perceptions of the use of body worn cameras.

    Read More

  • Essay On Police And Body Cameras

    813 Words  | 2 Pages

    Police officers with their body cameras: a history and back ground paper to answer the question if should all police officers wear body cameras, it is important to first look at the history and back ground of the topic. According to article of Journal of quantitative criminology, writers Ariel, Farrar, Sutherland, Body cameras have been given a new eye opener to people about the excessive use of force against their community members. Arial, Farrar, and Sutherland in the article state “The effect of police body warn cameras on use of force and citizens’ complaints against the police: A randomize controlled trial” describe their observation as:

    Read More

  • Surveillance Cameras In Law Enforcement

    1472 Words  | 3 Pages

    Surveillance cameras have helped hundreds of law enforcement agencies solve thousands of crimes throughout the nation. They have become so helpful that most law enforcement agencies are planning on setting them up on street corners, buildings, publication parks, and on their own officers. There are many cities across the nation that have began to use surveillance cameras. Setting up cameras is a pivotal technique to solving and preventing crimes. Although, it is often argued that having law enforcement surveillance cameras set up throughout the nations communities is an invasion of privacy, citizens should sacrifice a little bit of privacy in return for their safety and protection of civil rights against criminals and police officers.

    Read More

  • Body Cameras Argumentative Essay

    1629 Words  | 4 Pages

    Many numerous police officers have been given body cameras over the last few months. Due to this, there have been videos that were made public which caused an outcry throughout the country. With the increase in body cameras over the country, there has been many setbacks and potential benefits that

    Read More

  • Police Officer And The Police Department

    1218 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ith the public” (When cops kill). The bodycams would capture the time when Officers use force it will protect the Officer with lawsuits but it can also be used as evidence against him. There are many controversies that come from using the bodycam many are that the Officer can pause or stop the recording or that they can edit the recording so it can not look bad to the public.

    Read More

  • Superhero

    1709 Words  | 4 Pages

    Because officers wear body cameras each and every day, they have a huge potential to invade the privacy of people’s lives that they come in contact with. While entering the people’s homes, these men face witnesses, suspects, and victims in a broad assortment of stressful and sometimes even extreme situations (Stanley, 2015). Officers have the ability to turn their cameras on and off whenever they please, essentially providing the corrupt officers with a decision to completely ignore the policies set in place (Mottram, 2015). Because body cameras offer a wide-angle view of what is happening in front of merely just the camera lens, anything that happens on the sides of behind the officer fails to be recorded. Therefore, the officer may turn his head while his body is still facing whatever is in front of him, failing to record what he might be witnessing (Weaver, 2015). There are many loopholes in the technology and policies of body cameras, but it is safe to say that this is becoming the new reality for many police departments around the

    Read More

More about Body Cameras Essay

Open Document